Conventionally, a printer which prints with an ink ribbon is used. Among such printers, for example, there is a barcode printer.
There are various categories of ink ribbons. The printer prints according to a setting corresponding to the category of the ink ribbon to obtain appropriate printing quality. The category of the ink ribbon is even classified according to manufacture company or lot (unit of manufacture) number in addition to color and width.
Technologies in which the printer automatically recognizes the category of the ink ribbon to automatically select the setting corresponding to the ink ribbon are diversely proposed. Among these technologies, for example, there is a technology which reads information displayed on an end surface of the ink ribbon set in a holding section with a reading device.
It is necessary for such a printer to rotate the ink ribbon once or more while the information displayed on the end surface of the ink ribbon is read. This is because a configuration in which an operator sets an information display position in accordance with the reading device or a configuration for enabling the printer to grasp an information display range is not proposed yet.
Generally, the ink ribbon is conveyed as in printing process in order to rotate a roll of the ink ribbon. Thus, if the foregoing operation is executed, many ink ribbons and sheets are consumed and wasted without being used for their intended purpose (printing), which is not favorable.